10/29/13  Purdue Extension online workshops helping fruit and vegetable farmers meet food safety regulations should they want to sell their products to restaurants, wholesalers, food hubs and other operations will continue in November.

The webinar series “Good Agricultural Practices from A to Z” will be held November 14th, 19th and 21st at the Marshall County Extension Office, 112 West Jefferson Street in room 304 of the County Building.   It will include sessions on health and hygiene, water quality and treatment, animals and animal products, sanitation on the farm, documentation and recordkeeping, and farm food safety plans.

Jodee Ellett, Purdue Extension’s local foods coordinator, noted that that farmers wanting to sell to restaurants, brokers, wholesalers, food hubs and some auctions will be required to not only register with the state as a wholesale fruit and vegetable wholesaler but also show proof of knowledge of food safety Good Agricultural Practices, known in the industry as GAPs. Attending “Good Agricultural Practices from A to Z” will meet this requirement of the new regulations.

Attendance at all three sessions is required to receive a GAPs Certificate of Attendance from Purdue Extension.

As with webinars held in July, the target audience is current and prospective fruit and vegetable farmers, market gardeners, and managers of community gardens that distribute produce to the public.

The workshops’ goal is to present current science-based information on how to reduce risk of contamination during production of fruits and vegetables, as well as provide practical knowledge on planning and documenting food safety practices from planting through marketing.

The webinars will be given 1-4 p.m. Eastern time. 

For more information contact: Robert Yoder, 574-935-8545, ryoder@purdue.edu.

Those interested in participating, needing special accommodations or having questions should email Ellett at jellett@purdue.edu or their host in the above.

Registration, due by Nov. 5, costs $30 per person and $10 for each additional person from the same farm. Those who would like to join from another location with high-speed Internet connection can do so at no charge.

Participants can register online at  https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_brw5RrwGUeSqDI1 or pick up a registration form at their host office.